Intermediate filaments regulate tissue size and stiffness in the murine lens

PURPOSE. To define the contributions of the beaded filament (BF), a lens-specific intermediate filament (IF), to lens morphology and biomechanics. METHODS. Wild-type and congenic CP49 knockout (KO) mice were compared by using electrophysiological, biomechanical, and morphometric approaches, to determine changes that occurred because of the absence of this cytoskeletal structure. RESULTS. Electrophysiological assessment established that the fiber cells lacking the lens-specific IFs were indistinguishable from wild-type fiber cells. The CP49 KO mice exhibited lower stiffness, and an unexpected higher resilience than the wildtype lenses. The absence of these filaments resulted in lenses that were smaller, and exhibited a higher ratio of lens:lens nucleus size. Finally, lens shape differed as well, with the CP49 KO showing a higher ratio of axial:equatorial diameter. CONCLUSIONS. Previous work has shown that BFs are necessary in maintaining fiber cell and lens structural phenotypes with age, and that absence of these filaments results in a loss of lens clarity. This work demonstrates that several tissue-level properties that are critical to lens function are also dependent, at least in part, on the presence of these lens-specific IFs. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

Intermediate Filaments Regulate Tissue Size and Stiffness in the Murine Lens

To accomplish its functions, the lens must regulate many physical properties within very exacting tolerances, including size, shape, stiffness and resilience. In this article, the authors demonstrate that the lens-specific intermediate filaments (aka beaded filaments) are required for proper regulation of each of these properties, and thus play a central role in several lens-specific functions

13Th International Conference On Conservative Management Of Spinal Deformities And First Joint Meeting Of The International Research Society On Spinal Deformities And The Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic And Rehabilitation Treatment – Sosort-Irssd 2016 Meeting

PubMe